The disintegration and disempowerment caused by war and organized violence in conflict areas are often reinforced by aid projects. Instead of addressing the social and psychological processes of threat andfear, destruction and trauma, loss and grief through interventions, they separate them, delegate them to specialists and ignore them in the other sectors of programming humanitarian aid. On the other hand, in psychosocial projects, the material needs of people are not always addressed adequately.

In order to offer psychosocial support forchildren and adolescents in the Darfur refugee camps, UNICEF established a large number of so-called Child Friendly Spaces. This article describes a training for model animators, who later gave an on-the-job training to the animators in the facilities. This had a substantial effect on the quality of the support the animators offered to the children.

Keywords: Child Friendly Spaces, Darfur, corporal punishment, internally displaced persons (IDP) camp

Child Friendly Spaces

Thisarticleisbasedontheexperiencesofarecentpilot project to develop a participatory approach to the monitoring and evaluating of psychosocial interventions with children affected by armed conflict. It presents the conceptual framework and the principles that underpinned the testing of tools within programmes in eastern Sri Lanka. Some of the main challenges encountered while utilizing these tools are discussed, along with the value of the data generated and the implications of using participatory methodologies for planning, monitoring and evaluation.

After the Madrid March 11, 2004 terrorist attacks, the interplay of politicians, journalists and academicians created an atmosphere of collective trauma. The authors analysed data related to these attacks in a sample of the population of Madrid (N = 503) 18-25 days after the attacks. Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was systematically assessed on the basis of a selfadministered interview. The data, however, shows that there is no scientific evidence at all for collective traumatization, or an epidemic of PTSD.

This article presents the methodology and results ofa study on the effectiveness of two psychosocial interventions targeting female victims of war-related and sexual violence in Liberia. One intervention provided counselling, the other offered support groups and skill training Qualitative research suggests that the participants of both interventions were positive with regard to the help provided. Quantitative analyses revealed that counselling was effective in reducing trauma symptoms as compared to the support and skill training and to a waiting list control group.

In this article the literature on psychosocial assistance to children in war-affected areas is reviewed. Two main types of interventions are identified: the curative approach and the developmental approach. The effectiveness of each of these approaches is discussed.

Keywords: protective factors, psychosocial wellbeing, social context, curative approach, developmental approach

The number of psychiatrists in manyAfrican countries is strikingly low. Therefore, these few professionals are often overburdened and have an isolated and marginalized position. So, it was commendable to see the establishment of the Association of African Psychiatrists & Allied Health Professions (AAPAP) by a group of active African psychiatrists. This organization aims to unite psychiatrists working within the African continent, and to improve the African mental health care system.

The Internet is an enormously rich source of information, but its very richness is also its main weakness. How can you find what you need? How do know if what you find is from a reliable source and can be trusted? In the contribution below we will summarize some Internet resources on psychosocial aspects of child soldiers that have been proved to be reliable and valuable.

Since 2003 the Nonviolent Peaceforce (NP) in Sri Lanka has aimed to increase the safety of civilians in Sri Lanka so that they can contribute to a lasting peace that includes a sense of justice.The NP has effectively assisted people to move to safer places, and supported people in interactions with authorities. The NP has also contributed to defusing ongoing violence and preventing further violence within specific situations.

This article offers findings on the first longitudinal study of life outcomes for former child soldiers. Between 1988 and 2004, information was prospectively collected on 39 male former child soldiers in Mozambique. The data show that, after 16years, the vast majority of this group of former child soldiers have become productive, capable and caring adults. At the same time, none of them are truly free from their pasts.